The ladies pose for a selfie. Well, who doesn't? So, unless a miracle happens, India are going to face Australia on Thursday. That will be a real cracker. Should be. Special mention to Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who ensured India's batting effort didn't go in vain. I feel they played their best cricket today; in all three departments. But hey, they are gonna face Australia, a side that wins World Cups yawning. Keep checking this space to fill your cricket cravings. Happy weekend boys and girls. Time to put my feet up. Au Revoir from Raju Peethala on behalf of Pratyush Sinha and Praveen.

Suzie Bates: We weren't good enough today. India batted outstandingly well on the back of Mithali's 100. We were nowhere good as we needed to be. We played some good games, but we really needed to stand up today. But unfortunately, we couldn't. We started really well with the ball, but we haven't been able to break the partnerships. We were expected to make the semi finals, but everyone is going to be very disappointed with the result. It was a really good batting track. We would have liked to keep them under 250. The way they finished was really great.

Mithali Raj, Player of the Match: I'm extremely happy because for a couple of us, this is going to be the last World Cup. So, our first aim was to qualify for the semis. I have always been happy to score runs for the country. I've always dreamed getting more and more runs because the hunger never dies. I think there were two important and crucial partnerships. One with Harmanpreet and the other with Veda. Her contribution was really very crucial. When you're chasing 250 plus there is always pressure. I think the bowlers did a great job. If you're aiming to be in the top 4 teams in the world, it is very important that you come back strong after a couple of defeats. It was important for the girls to come back strong, all firing.

Rajeshwari Gayakwad: I was happy that the team is winning. Not upset because I didn't get a game so far. Got my chance today and happy that I delivered. I have been doing normal stuff, just trying to stick to my strengths. It was fun carrying drinks all along thus far. This is the best performance of my career. I always got four-fers, but never a fifer. So I would rate this as my best.

16:37 local: India spin New Zealand out of the World Cup. Who would have thought? The girls are extremely cock-a-hoop. Plenty of patting, hugs and handshakes exchanged. The coaching staff's delighted too. India win by 186 runs. The margin of the victory should tell you how they dominated New Zealand fair and square. Also, this is White Ferns' lowest score in a World Cup. The tone was set in the second over with Shikha Pandey nipping out Suzie Bates; India left no room for recovery as they kept chipping away at the wickets. This is their best bowling performance in this tourney. If they are to win their maiden World Cup, they just have to do it 2 more times.

25.3

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Kasperek, out Bowled!! India are through to the semis and will most likely play Australia at the same ground on Thursday. A five-for Rajeshwari Gayakwad. The best figures, I guess, in this World Cup. It was full and straight, Kasperek played all over it and turned back to see her stumps in disarray. Kasperek b Rajeshwari Gayakwad 0(2)

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Amelia Kerr, no run, punched back to the bowler

24.6

Poonam Yadav to Kasperek, no run, strides forward and blocks a tossed up delivery into the off-side

24.5

Poonam Yadav to Amelia Kerr, 3 runs, clobbers a drive between cover and extra cover, the ball slows up in the outfield before Deepti Sharma hunt it down

24.4

Poonam Yadav to Amelia Kerr, FOUR, drills a drive straight, evades Poonam Yadav by a few inches. So close, yet so far

24.3

Poonam Yadav to Amelia Kerr, FOUR, hammers a flatter delivery through mid-wicket. All power

24.2

Poonam Yadav to Amelia Kerr, no run, smothered off the front foot

24.1

Poonam Yadav to Amelia Kerr, no run, full and leg stump, Kerr inside-edge the slog onto her foot

Leigh Kasperek, right handed bat, comes to the crease

23.6

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Tahuhu, out Caught by Goswami!! Sliding across the right hander, lovely dip too. Tahuhu goes for the slog and feeds a thick edge to the left of the lone slip. Jhulan Goswami it is, she anticipates and takes a good catch with a timely dive. Tahuhu c Goswami b Rajeshwari Gayakwad 5(7) [4s-1]

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Tahuhu, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!

23.5

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Tahuhu, no run, lbw appeal after Tahuhu missed the flick, but that pitched outside leg. So, can't be given

Poonam Yadav to Tahuhu, 1 run, jabs the drive out to deep covers and gets off the mark

22.3

Poonam Yadav to Maddy Green, out Caught by Goswami!! It's telling that full tosses are getting India wickets.. New Zealand are cooked here. Yes, this full toss was dipping but Maddy Green lofts it straight to mid-on. Straight to her, trust me, when Maddy Green could have hacked it anywhere. Maddy Green c Goswami b Poonam Yadav 5(13) [4s-1]

Poonam Yadav to Maddy Green, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!

22.2

Poonam Yadav to Maddy Green, no run, drifting in, thanks to the flight. Takes the inside of the intended drive

22.1

Poonam Yadav to Maddy Green, no run, blocked to cover

Poonam Yadav, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack

Kaur is off for some treatment. Mona Mishra is subbing for her

21.6

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Amelia Kerr, no run, driven to cover

Amelia Kerr, right handed bat, comes to the crease

21.5

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Hannah Rowe, out Bowled!! Plays around a full ball and has her stumps in knots. Was looking to work it to mis-wicket but is beaten on the outside edge. Hannah Rowe b Rajeshwari Gayakwad 4(8) [4s-1]

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Hannah Rowe, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!

21.4

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Hannah Rowe, no run, full outside off, Rowe steers it towards short third

21.3

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Maddy Green, 1 run, goes back and across, and opens the punch to backward point

21.2

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Maddy Green, no run, good bounce, and Hannah Rowe goes back to defend

21.1

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Maddy Green, no run, tossed up outside off, jabbed to point

20.6

Deepti Sharma to Hannah Rowe, no run, good loop, as she must have been advised by the fielders after conceding that last boundary. Hannah Rowe is caught midway in her footwork here and slices it out to cover-point in the end

20.5

Deepti Sharma to Hannah Rowe, FOUR, rocks back and thumped along the ground through covers. Just a little short from the 19yo

20.4

Deepti Sharma to Hannah Rowe, no run, checks her front foot defence into the pitch

20.3

Deepti Sharma to Hannah Rowe, no run, pushes off the front foot to covers

20.2

Deepti Sharma to Hannah Rowe, no run, left alone outside off

20.1

Deepti Sharma to Hannah Rowe, no run, she looks happy as a clam, does Sharma. Maddy Green blocks

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, out Caught by Deepti Sharma!! Doff your cap to that catch. Deepti Sharma - yes, the same kid who picked a stunning wicket last over - has run back at extra cover and dived beavely to catch it. and she's done that on the practice pitches, keeping aside the fear of hurting herself. About the shot, Devine was looking to hoist it into the leg-side. Too much of bottom hand and then some turn are her undoing. Chips one off the toe-end and then is 'Sharmacisioned'. Devine c Deepti Sharma b Rajeshwari Gayakwad 7(24)

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, no run, slices it towards mid-off, compensating for some turn from leg to off

19.1

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, no run, pushed into the off-side

18.6

Deepti Sharma to Maddy Green, FOUR, how she makes use of the free-hit ball, a fruit of the batsman-dominated law-making. Flat-bats one over mid-off

18.6

Deepti Sharma to Maddy Green, no ball, blocked to mid-on but Deepti Sharma has overstepped. Anjum Chopra on air is not amused. Free-hit on offer. Is this the inflection point, is this?

18.5

Deepti Sharma to Maddy Green, no run, culls the turn from the crease

18.4

Deepti Sharma to Maddy Green, no run, quicker, flatter, Maddy Green defends it from the crease

18.3

Deepti Sharma to Maddy Green, no run, blocked

Maddy Green, right handed bat, comes to the crease

18.2

Deepti Sharma to Perkins, out Bowled!! New Zealand in a real teenager-cooked soup. Deepti Sharma delightfully flights it, drifting it wide and luring Perkins into a cover drive. And then becomes a star. Gets the ball to turn in sharply and sneaks the ball through the driving bat-pat pad. Perkins b Deepti Sharma 1(7)

Deepti Sharma to Perkins, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!

18.1

Deepti Sharma to Perkins, no run, sharp offbreak wide of off, left alone on line

17.6

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Perkins, 1 run, shunted to backward point

17.5

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Perkins, no run, tries to sweep from middle-stump and is in a real tangle. too full actually, and she misses. Appeals for an lbw shot down

17.4

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Perkins, no run, now gets her front pad out and defends with the bat in front of off

17.3

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Perkins, no run, now the arm-ball. Hits the pad but looked outside the line of off, certainly

17.2

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Perkins, no run, quicker delivery from over the wicket blocked off the front foot by the right hander

Katie Perkins, right handed bat, comes to the crease

17.1

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Satterthwaite, out Stumped!! Another bowler's wicket. Batter came out of her crease all too soon, and it allowed Rajeshwari Gayakwad to just about slow the pace down, and send the ball drifting wider. Satterthwaite was expecting the left-arm spinner's delivery to come in from over the wicket, but it just held its line and beat the outside edge with the drift. And Sushma is her for a reason. Quick glovework and there wasn't a way back for Satterthwaite. In real trouble, are New Zealand now. Satterthwaite st Sushma Verma b Rajeshwari Gayakwad 26(47) [4s-4]

Lots of chirping today in the game. And not the sledge chirping. Are the men watching?

16.4

Deepti Sharma to Satterthwaite, no run, flatter, Satterthwaite waits back and stabs it to backward point

16.3

Deepti Sharma to Satterthwaite, no run, tries to sweep a turning offbreak and misses

16.2

Deepti Sharma to Satterthwaite, no run, steers the punch to backward point

Gusts of wind blowing across

16.1

Deepti Sharma to Devine, 1 run, quick to transfer her weight back and is able to cut a ball not so short. But, but, she finds backward point. Mandhana again!

15.6

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Satterthwaite, no run, drifts in and pops back off the inside half, as Satterthwaite looks to force out a cover drive. New Zealand need 217 runs

15.5

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Satterthwaite, no run, waits for the ball and jabs it to mid-on

15.4

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Satterthwaite, no run, blocked

15.3

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, 1 run, dropped at mid-on by Mandhana? Nah, it's short of her headfirst dive. Chipped in the air, with lots of bottom hand. Anjum Chopra on air feels that she could have taken a step in front and caught it

15.2

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, no run, jammed back down

15.1

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, no run, from over the wicket to the right hander, Devine defends beside her front pad

14.6

Deepti Sharma to Devine, 1 run, ah, just past Deepti Sharma's dive to her right. A desperate, right hand-stretched dive but this straight drill makes it way through

14.5

Deepti Sharma to Devine, no run, bat face turns on this front-footed drive intended through mid-off

14.4

Deepti Sharma to Satterthwaite, 1 run, cut hard into the ground and Harmanpreet's again at it. Diving - remember she's in pain with an injured finger and perhaps a shoulder, too - but she's done so well here

14.3

Deepti Sharma to Satterthwaite, FOUR, that's a lovely drive. Leans in on her front foot and softens it through wide mid-off. Split the fielders there perfectly

14.2

Deepti Sharma to Satterthwaite, no run, fuller this time but Kaur at cover-point again to the rescue

14.1

Deepti Sharma to Satterthwaite, no run, hurls it wide from round the wicket and gets some turn. Slammed to cover

13.6

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, no run, and again. Not as hard as the last ball

13.5

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, no run, slams the flat-batted drive to mid-off. Signs of frustation from Devine

13.4

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, no run, almost sneaks through. I believe it hit the inside edge, then the pad and rolled back

13.3

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, no run, sorta arm-ball but wide, slapped to backward point

13.2

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Satterthwaite, 1 run, slower this time, Satterthwaite goes back and punches it back. And then runs the single as the ball deflects off Gayakwad's boot

13.1

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Satterthwaite, FOUR, ah, she was cramped for room there with the ball drifting away and turning in, but she's opened the face last min to dab a boundary away. Well played

12.6

Deepti Sharma to Devine, no run, punched back to Deepti Sharma

12.5

Deepti Sharma to Devine, 2 runs, slight turn from wide of off and Devine has laid into it with an open-batted couple to third (wo)man

12.4

Deepti Sharma to Devine, no run, gets her front leg across and blocks

12.3

Deepti Sharma to Devine, no run, on her front foot to block this just outside off

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Satterthwaite, 1 run, straightens within the stumps and Satterthwaite stays back to turn it around the corner

11.3

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Satterthwaite, no run, chopped into the pitch

11.2

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Satterthwaite, no run, stays over the wicket to the left hander. Gets it to skid on and Satterthwaite defends it with it

One slip was there for her. Mithali has been better with her fields today

11.1

Rajeshwari Gayakwad to Devine, 1 run, gets her first ball in this World Cup to turn. But provides width with that, and is slapped through point

Rajeshwari Gayakwad, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack

10.6

Deepti Sharma to Satterthwaite, FOUR, ful-flowing pick-up sweep from off-stump. Just the ball there for the sweep. And Satterthwaite's front foot stride ensured that she was right on top. through mid-wicket

10.5

Deepti Sharma to Devine, 1 run, single to fine backward point

10.4

Deepti Sharma to Devine, no run, blocked

Sophie Devine, right handed bat, comes to the crease

10.3

Deepti Sharma to Katey Martin, out Caught by Harmanpreet Kaur!! These 19-year-old kids, I'm telling you. They know Snapchat as well as getting their off-breaks to dip. Invites Katey Martin out of her crease with her flight, then gets the ball to dip and has her holed out at mid-wicket. Sharp reflexes from Kaur, who was in pain some time back, but this was Deepti Sharma's wicket for me. Completely hoaxed the batter out in flight. Katey Martin c Harmanpreet Kaur b Deepti Sharma 12(22) [4s-2]

Deepti Sharma to Katey Martin, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!

10.2

Deepti Sharma to Katey Martin, no run, plays with the dip and whips it to mid-wicket

Shikha Pandey to Katey Martin, no run, pitched up just outside off, driven to mid-off. India were 31/2 at the end of 10 overs

9.5

Shikha Pandey to Katey Martin, no run, pushed down the ground

9.4

Shikha Pandey to Katey Martin, no run, steers it to backward point

9.3

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, 1 run, stutter of a single to mid-wicket

Kaur looks in some pain at the boundary line

9.2

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, blocked back

9.1

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, tries to glide a single to third (wo)man, but a) she's late, and b) the length's too full, with the ball going away with the bowler's angle from over the wicket. Beaten

8.6

Goswami to Katey Martin, no run, drilled to mid-off

8.5

Goswami to Katey Martin, no run,

8.4

Goswami to Katey Martin, no run, dabbed to cover-point, the cover fielder runs in and parries the throw to keeper, Verma, who shadow-whips the bails only because she was far behind the stumps. Katey Martin would have been safe, I think, even with Verma dislodging the bails

8.3

Goswami to Satterthwaite, 1 run, pushed to cover for a quick single

8.2

Goswami to Katey Martin, 1 run, drives off the top half through cover-point

8.1

Goswami to Katey Martin, no run, blocked into the off-side

7.6

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, gets forward to accommodate the fuller length delivery and blocks

7.5

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, plomped to cover

7.4

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, slow and full, Satterthwaite blocks off the inside-half

7.3

Shikha Pandey to Katey Martin, 1 run, goes back in the crease and dabs an open-batted single to third man

7.2

Shikha Pandey to Katey Martin, FOUR, had some more time to place the drive wide of diving cover. The fact that she waited on her front foot, expecting the full ball, helped

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, "How has that missed the stumps?" says Doull on air. Jags in from a fuller length, so Satterthwaite is reaching out in front and is then cut in half

5.3

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, opens her bat with the angle from over the wicket. Poked to point

5.2

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, good from point there. Dives to her right and keeps this cut shot to a nought

5.1

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, slowish and very full, jammed back out

4.6

Goswami to Katey Martin, FOUR, through. Between the keeper and the slip. Martin flashes outside off and gets a thick edge that races past Veda's dive to her left. Half-a-chance if I'm allowed to say so

4.5

Goswami to Katey Martin, no run, keeps it straight, Martin smothers it into the leg-side

4.4

Goswami to Satterthwaite, 1 run, skiddy full ball outside off, Satterthwaite opens the bat face and runs it down to the third man region

4.3

Goswami to Satterthwaite, no run, fullish outside off, Satterthwaite presses forward and defends into the off-side

4.2

Goswami to Katey Martin, 1 run, shuffles across and clips it to square leg

4.1

Goswami to Katey Martin, no run, comes on the frontfoot and pushes to cover

Goswami to Priest, out Caught&Bowled!! India on top. Goswami takes a good return catch near her knees in her followthrough. Pitches it up like she has today, Priest couldn't keep the drive down, with a lot of bottom-hand coming into play. New Zealand under huge pressure. This 266-run chase now looks all the more tall. Priest c and b Goswami 5(12) [4s-1]

Goswami to Priest, THAT'S OUT!! Caught&Bowled!!

2.5

Goswami to Priest, no run, slapped to cover, with weight in front

2.4

Goswami to Priest, no run, pitching it as full as how New Zealand were to Mandhana. Priest here drills it out off the front foot

2.3

Goswami to Priest, no run, not the room to cut here. Ends up mistiming it in the vicinity of the slipper

2.2

Goswami to Priest, no run, full again, pushed out. Keeping them nice and honest with the pace here. Good to see. And that heavy-ball action from Goswami: wow

Goswami running in! such a sight

2.1

Goswami to Priest, no run, drives this full ball hard to Goswami's left

1.6

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, crowd thinks this is a catch. Isn't. Just jammed out off the front foot towards cover, who takes the rebound off the ground

1.5

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, and now beats Satterthwaite's outside edge on the drive. Just gets some outswing from over the wicket to the left hander

1.4

Shikha Pandey to Priest, 1 run, tough chance for Raut at backward point. Cut away uppishly, Raut dives to her left but fails to grab on. Will go down as a drop, you'll have to say

1.3

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, 1 run, on leg-stump from over the wicket, worked round the corner

1.2

Shikha Pandey to Satterthwaite, no run, defends it from the crease

Amy Satterthwaite, left handed bat, comes to the crease

1.1

Shikha Pandey to Bates, out Caught by Veda Krishnamurthy!! India cock-a-hoop. And the tactic of not starting with left-arm spin, once, has paid off. So this just straightened on off-stump, Bates was lured into a mid-wicket flick due to the trajectory of this ball, but popped a leading edge to slip instead. Catch at a good height. Safely taken by Veda. Bates c Veda Krishnamurthy b Shikha Pandey 1(2)

Shikha Pandey to Bates, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!

Shikha Pandey, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

0.6

Goswami to Priest, no run, pushed out in defence

0.5

Goswami to Priest, FOUR, Newton's law of inertia. The bails have read it. Fail to get dislodged. This from Goswami cuts in, takes the inside edge and takes the corner of leg-stump. Nothing. Should have been bowled, is Priest, but she lives on. And guess what, gets a four. There there, Goswami

0.4

Goswami to Priest, no run, just a little inside edge on this, else.. Gets the ball to deck in off the pitch this time. Priest clips it off the inside edge, which she'll be thankful about

0.3

Goswami to Priest, no run, slight inswing on this yorker length delivery, Priest chokes it out

0.2

Goswami to Priest, no run, slaps at the width but a good stop at cover

0.1

Goswami to Bates, 1 run, intent first ball. An outswinger on a length, Bates glides it to third man

Bates and Priest are at the crease. Bates is on strike. Goswami will open the attack

A slip in place

02:51pm local: So, we are back. India have something on the board, just like Mithali wanted at the toss for this crucial game. New Zealand have a history of plucking at the most crucial of moments, so we will see how they go about this chase. India start ahead now, certainly.

***

14:27 local: India will feel they have got enough. "I didn't think the pitch was good until my skipper told me. We had wickets in hand and I thought it is better to go out and hit rather than hanging back. It is a very good total. Especially we lost 2 early wickets, Harmanpreet and and Mithali set the platform for us and that gave us the cushion to go for the runs. I keep asking her (Mithali) how she gets runs so consistently. It's just unbelievable. It has become like a habit for her," says a visibly excited Veda who helped India claim their highest ODI score against New Zealand. The match summary was aptly put through her words. After an early wobble, the two most experienced batters turned up and then Veda happened. Deepti had an off today. This match is going down to the wire. Trust me. Back in a bit.

49.6

Kasperek to Shikha Pandey, out Caught by Satterthwaite!! Gone. A wild slog and she couldn't have found the fielder any better. Deep mid-wicket stands just inside the ropes and she swallows it with the safest of hands. Shikha Pandey c Satterthwaite b Kasperek 0(1)

Kasperek to Shikha Pandey, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!

Shikha Pandey, right handed bat, comes to the crease

49.5

Kasperek to Veda Krishnamurthy, out Veda Krishnamurthy Run Out!! 1 run completed. Sushma Verma wanted the second, she was right in her thinking. Wanted to put Veda on strike, but it didn't pay off. Hit straight to deep mid-wicket, the second was never on. There was a slight fumble after at the keeper's end, but Priest backed up well to dislodge the bails. Veda Krishnamurthy run out (Perkins/ Devine/ Priest) 70(45) [4s-7 6s-2]

Kasperek to Mithali, out Caught by Satterthwaite!! Comes down the pitch and miscues a slog, straight down the throat of deep mid-wicket. The bottom hand came off while executing the shot and hence couldn't generate ample power. End of a wonderful knock from the Indian skipper. Mithali c Satterthwaite b Kasperek 109(123) [4s-11]

Kasperek to Mithali, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!

49.2

Kasperek to Mithali, FOUR, one bounce and over the ropes. Wasn't quite to the pitch, but she opened the bat face and lofted it in the gap over extra cover. Much needed boundary for India

49.1

Kasperek to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, down the ground and a mow across the line, a single to deep mid-wicket

48.6

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, byes, 2 runs, comes too far down the pitch and gives up as she missed the ball by a long way. But to her delight, the ball slides past the keeper and runs down towards third man region

48.5

Amelia Kerr to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, tries too hard, but can only get a single to long-on

48.4

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, 1 run, 100 partnership between these and it has come off 74 balls. A tuck around the corner to get there

48.3

Amelia Kerr to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, jumps out of her crease and drives a single down to long-off

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, 2 runs, cut away behind point for a couple of runs

Amelia Kerr [9.0-0-58-0] is back into the attack

47.6

Kasperek to Mithali, 1 run, pushed down to long-on

47.5

Kasperek to Mithali, 2 runs, and that's her 6th ODI hundred. Take a bow Mithali Raj. She delivered on the big stage. Plenty of smiles around. She got there with a nudgy little flick into the leg-side. Not a grand celebration, just a raise of the bat and...that's it

47.4

Kasperek to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, eased down to long-on

47.3

Kasperek to Mithali, 1 run, worked away through mid-wicket

47.2

Kasperek to Mithali, 2 runs, just past a leaping cover fielder. Raj lofted the drive off the toe end, cover runs back and loses momentum as the ball evades her towards sweeper

47.1

Kasperek to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, slogswept, clean connection, but there is fielder at deep square

Leigh Kasperek [8.0-3-29-1] is back into the attack

33 runs came of the last two overs. India will try and squeeze more of the remaining 3 overs

46.6

Bates to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, hit hard and hit wide of long-on

46.5

Bates to Mithali, 1 run, clipped away through mid-wicket

46.4

Bates to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, a lofted hit, goes on the bounce to long-on

46.3

Bates to Veda Krishnamurthy, FOUR, she's on a mission. Gives herself a bit of room and swings her hands to carve a lovely loft over wide mid-off. No stopping that

46.2

Bates to Veda Krishnamurthy, FOUR, runs...bleeding. Superb batting this from Veda. She knows where the gaps are, shuffles right across her stumps and smites a slower delivery over mid-wicket

46.1

Bates to Veda Krishnamurthy, SIX, and that's a fifty for Veda Krishnamurthy. An innings that India so badly needed. Down on one knee, picked the bones out of a flatter delivery, deposists it over long-on. A beaming smile on her face as soon as she connected that shot

45.6

Tahuhu to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, a hurried drive to extra cover and a more hurried effort to complete the single

45.5

Tahuhu to Veda Krishnamurthy, FOUR, India's highest ODI score against New Zealand. Got there in some style, Veda stays leg-side of the delivery and lifts the drive over cover. Awesome batting this

45.4

Tahuhu to Veda Krishnamurthy, FOUR, lashed away. Veda makes full use of the free hit. Throws the kitchen sink at a short ball and the fielder from fine leg misjudged and thus it bounced over her and into the ropes

45.4

Tahuhu to Veda Krishnamurthy, no ball, FOUR, a high full toss. Too high in fact. Called no ball for height. Veda dismisses it out of her sight

45.3

Tahuhu to Veda Krishnamurthy, no run, dug in short outside off, Veda looks to ramp, but no dice

45.2

Tahuhu to Mithali, 1 run, opens the bat face and runs the ball wide of backward point

45.1

Tahuhu to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, dropped by Satterthwaite at deep square. Veda miscues a slogsweep and the fielder was late to react, came forward from the deep, but just couldn't cling on

44.6

Bates to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, an agricultural heave across the line, will help her fetch a single to deep mid-wicket

Tahuhu to Veda Krishnamurthy, 2 runs, top-edges a pull over the keeper, the short ball came much quicker than she anticipated and was hurried a bit. Priest hunts it down to kep it down to two

43.4

Tahuhu to Mithali, 1 run, gets across and drives this straight of long-on, gets the single this time

43.3

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, flash and miss outside off

43.2

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, very wide of off, Mithali drives square, straight to backward point, and then she says "Ledu" which means no

43.1

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, fullish and targetting off, defended back

42.6

Amelia Kerr to Veda Krishnamurthy, no run, driven back to the bowler

42.5

Amelia Kerr to Veda Krishnamurthy, 2 runs, push-drives a full delivery and calls her skipper back for the second, good running

42.4

Amelia Kerr to Veda Krishnamurthy, SIX, she is launching the big hits now. Races down, gets to the pitch and smacks the leather off that delivery, the ball just evades a leaping deep mid-wicket

42.3

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, 1 run, punched down to deep cover

42.2

Amelia Kerr to Veda Krishnamurthy, 3 runs, width on offer outside off, Veda picks the gap between cover and backward point as she cuts late to collect three, some sloppy work from the fielder helped too

42.1

Amelia Kerr to Veda Krishnamurthy, FOUR, bullets down the pitch and lofts Amelia Kerr inside out over extra cover; clean as a whistle

41.6

Tahuhu to Veda Krishnamurthy, 1 run, short ball outside off, Veda rises and hangs her bat to guide it down to third man, came off the top half of the bat

Hannah Rowe to Veda Krishnamurthy, no run, right on the money, a yorker on middle, Veda keeps it out

36.4

Hannah Rowe to Veda Krishnamurthy, no run, attacks the stumps right away, Veda drives to mid-on

Veda Krishnamurthy, right handed bat, comes to the crease

36.3

Hannah Rowe to Deepti Sharma, out Caught by Priest!! India letting the momentum slip away. A ripper of a catch Rachel Priest; diving full length to her left to take a one-handed stunner. Hannah Rowe came round the wicket and created the angle to lure Deepti Sharma into a drive, she fell for the trap and fed a thick edge on the flashy shot. And then the theatrics of Priest... Deepti Sharma c Priest b Hannah Rowe 0(7)

Hannah Rowe to Deepti Sharma, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!

36.2

Hannah Rowe to Deepti Sharma, no run, pitched up wide of off, driven nice and straight to cover

36.1

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, 1 run, walks across and nearly chips a flick to mid-wicket, falls just short of the fielder. A late decision on the quick single, but they stroll home comfortably

Hannah Rowe [8.0-3-19-1] is back into the attack

35.6

Kasperek to Deepti Sharma, no run, another rock solid defence to end a wicket-maiden over

35.5

Kasperek to Deepti Sharma, no run, forward and defended

35.4

Kasperek to Deepti Sharma, no run, pitched up outside off, Deepti Sharma was in two minds; whether to cut or drive. In the end, she decides for the latter and is beaten all ends up

35.3

Kasperek to Deepti Sharma, no run, driven straight to mid-off

35.2

Kasperek to Deepti Sharma, no run, cuts a short ball to point

Deepti Sharma, left handed bat, comes to the crease

35.1

Kasperek to Harmanpreet Kaur, out Caught&Bowled!! Aww! What.A.Moment. The kid in Leigh Kasperek shows up. She fumbles while taking a straightforward catch, only once though and then nestles it safely in her palms and hands over the ball to the umpire. So candid. All that after Harmanpreet Kaur miscued a lofted drive to the left of the bowler. Harmanpreet Kaur c and b Kasperek 60(90) [4s-7]

Kasperek to Harmanpreet Kaur, THAT'S OUT!! Caught&Bowled!!

Leigh Kasperek [5.0-2-18-0] is back into the attack

34.6

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, driven firmly to the left of Suzie Bates, she'll get an easy single to long-off

34.5

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, straight to mid-on again

34.4

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, bunts a length ball to mid-on

34.3

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, looks to steer a delivery that's too full, couldn't connect it as well as she would have liked, straight to point

34.2

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, FOUR, gets inside the line of a full delivery and opens up the leg-side. There's a big gap wide of mid-wicket and she uses it to great effect with a twirl of her wrists

34.1

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, FOUR, her weight moving forward, head still; yep! That's the way to play a drive. Smacked away through the covers

34.1

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, wide, moves too far across her stumps and fails to flick a leg side wide

33.6

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, punches a single to cover who is standing on the edge of the circle

33.5

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, 1 run, pushed down to long-on

33.4

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, 9th ODI fifty for Harmanpreet Kaur, her first in this World Cup. Gets there with a back foot punch behind point, a congratulatory handshake from the skipper

33.3

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, looks to cut a wide ball and misses

33.2

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, 1 run, powered away to deep cover

33.1

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, some miscommunication. Mithali was ball watching as Kaur flicked this to mid-on. In the end, she had to rush to the keeper's end. A poor throw from the fielder too

32.6

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, biffs a full ball down to long-on

32.5

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, taps the ball to backward point and looks for a quick single, sent back by the skipper

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, FOUR, delicacy. Ah, that works. Prefers to stay back this time, plays the ball at the last possible minute to send her steer-cum-cut fine of third woman

31.1

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, too much intent, but no power. A rank full toss on the stumps, Kaur slams as hard as she can, all brawn, mistimed to mid-wicket

Amelia Kerr [5.0-0-24-0] is back into the attack

30.6

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, pokes the ball into the mid-wicket area and completes an easy single

30.5

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, 2 runs, gets into position early and paddles the sweep fine, easy two

30.4

Bates to Mithali, 1 run, pushed to long-on

30.3

Bates to Mithali, FOUR, 100 partnership comes up thanks to a bad bounce. Mithali unveils a typical pick-up hoick; it hangs in the air for quite a while, the fielder from deep mid-wicket attacked, but was done in by the bad bounce

30.2

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, full and straight, drilled to long-on

30.1

Bates to Mithali, 1 run, stays beside the length ball and punches it square on the off-side

Suzie Bates [3.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack

29.6

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, a slash and a miss outside off

29.5

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, low full toss on off, Kaur slaps hard to the left of mid-wicket who puts in a brilliant dive to stop some runs

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, leans forward and dabs a length ball into the covers

27.4

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, good length just outside off, punch-driven to cover

27.3

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, 1 run, gets across and clips a full ball off her legs, to the left of deep mid-wicket

27.2

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, no run, full on off, driven to cover

27.1

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, FOUR, full and in the slot, Mithali whips it off her pads through mid-wicket. 50th ODI 50 for the Indian skipper, all smiles in the dressing room

26.6

Satterthwaite to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, miscues a punch to cover

26.5

Satterthwaite to Mithali, 1 run, shortish outside off, punched off the back foot to sweeper cover

26.4

Satterthwaite to Mithali, no run, chips down, gets too close to the pitch and flicks it to mid-wicket

26.3

Satterthwaite to Mithali, 2 runs, stays on the back foot and uses the spin on offer to tuck a couple of runs around the corner

26.2

Satterthwaite to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, another dolly of a delivery, gently milked down to long-on

26.1

Satterthwaite to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, a full toss outside off has been driven straight to mid-off. Period.

Amy Satterthwaite, right-arm off break, comes into the attack

25.6

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, no run, inswinger on middle, Raj pushes it to mid-on

25.5

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, leg byes, 1 run, falls over the flick shot and is struck well outside leg, a stifled appeal

25.4

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, full and curling in, flicked to mid-wicket

25.3

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, skiddy back of a length delivery wide of off-stump, Kaur rocks back to cut, but is beaten by the lack of bounce

Harmanpreet Kaur is on her haunches, trying to attend her left hand's ring finger. She had a dislocated bone there some time back, and so has a good padding there today. Physio's out there. Looked in pain as soon as she worked away the last delivery. So a slight delay..

25.2

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, even fuller just outside off, squeeze-driven to wide mid-on

25.1

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, pushed to mid-on

24.6

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, no run, comes down the track and drives it to cover, rather defensively

24.5

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, works this to long-on. Priest is as vocal as one can get behind the stumps, hah

24.4

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, defended from the crease. The googly this time, that cramps her up for room

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, no run, flyin' extra cover! Dives head-first and tries to catch this lofted cover drive from Mithali. Never carried. On the bounce

23.2

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, that was a good stop at cover-stop, else this back foot punch was racing away

23.1

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, tight on off and middle, Harmanpreet Kaur blocks from the crease

23.1

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, wide, slips out of the hand and is headed down leg

Hannah Rowe [4.0-2-6-1] is back into the attack

22.6

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, no run, turned into the legside

22.5

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, flighted full and squeezed out to mid-wicket, who slips on this wet square. The left knee got stuck in the ground

22.4

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, forward defence. She's right on top of the ball there. Good technique from Harmanpreet Kaur here

22.3

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, 2 runs, flicked through to fine leg

22.2

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, FOUR, slog-sweep. And so un-Kiwi this from New Zealand. Fielder running in from deep mid-wicket, the fielder's running in and tries to grab the rebound one-handed, but is defeated by the extra bounce. Lets it through

22.1

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, gets a thick outside edge on the forward defence

21.6

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, defends it with an open bat face and no feet

21.5

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, gets a full ball that's driven to extra cover

21.4

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, stays back and opens the bat to backward point. Shortish again from Tahuhu

21.3

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, stops on the bat, this short ball, and is ably quelled to covers by Mithali

21.3

Tahuhu to Mithali, wide, swinging away from a back of a length, Mithali reaches out and wafts but the ball is only going away from her

21.2

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, jabbed to mid-off off the front foot

21.1

Tahuhu to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, goes back and protracts hands to punch this through covers

20.6

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, no run, shimmies out and forward-defends

20.5

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, no run, turning away, cut to backward point

20.4

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, no run, comes down the track again and works it to mid-wicket

20.3

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, no run, makes room for this gorgeous inside-out drive but it's been half-stopped by the cover fielder

20.2

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, no run, pushed quicker, Mithali blocks it back

20.1

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, FOUR, makes a full toss all the more mediocre by using her feet and slamming it over mid-wicket. Brutally done

19.6

Tahuhu to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, short but with ridable bounce, Harmanpreet Kaur pulls it to square leg

19.5

Tahuhu to Mithali, 1 run, punched to third (wo)man's right

19.4

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, opens her stance side on and then forces through to point

19.3

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, past the outside edge. Uses no feet in driving away from the body here

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, hanger ball. Flat through the air, stays there for a long time and then grips away. Left alone

18.3

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, wide, drifts this one down leg

18.2

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, 2 runs, sees the width on this flatter delivery and slashes it away through point

18.1

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, drifts in to pitch on leg and then turns. More the moisture in the pitch

17.6

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, open-jabs the front foot defence to point

One slip to start

12:07 Local Time, 11:07 GMT, 16:37 IST: Covers are off! Players are out, warming up. No overs are lost. *inserts a smiley*

11:41 Local Time, 10:41 GMT, 16:11 IST: Rigid umpires bow to the weather gods. Was difficult to bowl, with the ball slipping out to evolve into full tosses, and then it's never a good idea to drench a fresh pitch. So they go off. Had to. After fifteen minutes of denial. Never works, I'm telling you.

17.5

Tahuhu to Mithali, FOUR, full toss it is - blame the rain! - it's been flicked through long leg. why are they still playing?

17.4

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, bangs it short outside off, Mithali upper-cuts and misses

17.3

Tahuhu to Mithali, no run, thick outside edge it backward point. Sliced it in the end

17.2

Tahuhu to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, tucked off the hips to backward square

17.1

Tahuhu to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, goes back and across to punch it to cover

Hey, it's mellowed down, the rain, but still very overcast, and looks ominous. But it's still raining

11:35 Local Time, 10:35 GMT, 16:05 IST: Drinks are on the field now. I believe we might as well see the covers out, for the rain is quite heavy now. India have been more urgent today with the singles and shot-making, but they have been caught in a sub-four blackhole of a run-rate. So despite visible efforts, New Zealand have managed to keep the lid on.

16.6

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, no run, uses her feet and drives to cover

16.5

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, no run, opens the front foot defence

Very heavy now, the rain

16.4

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, full toss, dipping and Harmanpreet Kaur had swept it round the corner

16.3

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, flatter leg break, Harmanpreet Kaur looks to cut and is beaten by the turn and trajectory

16.2

Amelia Kerr to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, tossed up full, blocked

16.1

Amelia Kerr to Mithali, 1 run, drifts in on leg and then straightens, but it's short. Pulled round the corner

Amelia Kerr, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack

Starting to drizzle..

15.6

Tahuhu to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, convicingly pulls a short ball that doesn't get much up this time. Perhaps short on the swivel, and so finds backward square. Needed to place it finer

Tahuhu to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, gets forward and then opens the face of the bat to stab out a defence

15.3

Tahuhu to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, length shortened, so she jump-defends from the crease

15.2

Tahuhu to Harmanpreet Kaur, FOUR, first boundary for Harmanpreet Kaur. And it's stunning. Leans into a mauling cover drive and holds the pose for the cameras. Why not

15.1

Tahuhu to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, bangs a full ball into the pitch and hits Harmanpreet Kaur's defence high on the bat

Lea Tahuhu [3.0-1-11-1] is back into the attack

14.6

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, gets across on her front foot but she gets an outside edge on this. a soft outside edge, thanks to the movement off the deck

14.5

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, tipped to mid-wicket. Soft push

14.4

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, drills out a full ball but there's protection in the form of extra cover

14.3

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, early to lunge forward, so waits and taps it to cover-point

14.2

Bates to Mithali, 1 run, jabbed off the front foot through covers

14.1

Bates to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, clipped around her pads to mid-wicket

Floodlights are on

13.6

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, no run, driven to mid-on this time

13.5

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, FOUR, reaches out and slices it through point. Had the room made, just leant to reach out and carved it away. The Queen of Cool is looking good

13.4

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, no run, a bit more force in this on-drive and mid-on was never in business. focus more on timing, and timed it was, but mid-on got a shot to field

13.3

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, no run, jabs out a defence to mid-off

13.2

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, no run, weighed on front but she pushes this away from the crease to extra cover

13.1

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, no run, good cover drive straight to the fielder it's named after

12.6

Bates to Mithali, 1 run, stays put and forces the ball square on the off-side to keep strike

12.5

Bates to Mithali, no run, blocks it out to cover

There's a sweeper in the off-side now

12.4

Bates to Mithali, FOUR, you couldn't say she was beaten last ball. Gets a wide ball and she slashes it away through vacant point with utter disdain

12.3

Bates to Mithali, no run, late swing to beat the outside edge on the drive. And that movement way meant that Mithali was driving away from her body

12.2

Bates to Mithali, no run, opens bat on her front foot and stabs it away

12.1

Bates to Mithali, no run, pitched up, defended back

11.6

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, and again. Very similar. Unable to find the gap here, again

11.5

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, driving away from the body but compensates it with a goof front foot stride. Finds cover

11.4

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, plays a full ball around her front boot and clips it to mid-wicket

11.3

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, late to come forward and Hannah Rowe's pinging her sticker

11.2

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, defends a fuller length delivery from the crease

11.1

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, stabs it off the front foot and then followthroughs like she's just driven

10.6

Bates to Mithali, no run, pushed off the front foot to cover

10.5

Bates to Mithali, no run, outswing and Mithali lays into it, but finds backward point. No misfield this time

10.4

Bates to Mithali, no run, blocks

10.3

Bates to Mithali, 2 runs, goes back and across, and slashes the ball to squae third man. And they run two. Mithali is halfway down the track as Harmanpreet Kaur is ball-watching at the striker's end after that single. And then had to oblige

10.2

Bates to Mithali, FOUR, swinging away and slashed through backward point. Nicely done. Mithali had to reach out for it but he gets a four

10.1

Bates to Mithali, no run, pitched up on fourth stump, Mithali defends it

Suzie Bates, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

9.6

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, gets forward and drills out a drive to cover. 31/2 after 10 overs

9.5

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, was forward but goes back last-minute and stabs the ball to backward point

9.4

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, forward defence

9.3

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, big front foot stride to pat this to covers

9.2

Hannah Rowe to Mithali, 1 run, opens her stance and chops the ball to deep backward point

9.1

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, lunges out on her front foot to drive a full ball but there's a touch of movement, still. Gets an outside edge to third man hence

8.6

Kasperek to Mithali, 2 runs, waits and dabs it late to third man. And they've run two here; that's what stood out. Good early call and having a fit Harmanpreet Kaur there helps

"One more wicket here," chirps Priest, the wicket-keeper

8.5

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, goes back and accommodates the flight

8.4

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, dipping flighted delivery, Mithali defends it off the front foot

8.3

Kasperek to Mithali, FOUR, half a step down the track and she's massaged out a drive through covers. India needs a big innings from her here

8.2

Kasperek to Harmanpreet Kaur, 1 run, guides an educated edge on the forward defence in front of slip

8.1

Kasperek to Mithali, 1 run, waits and late-cuts it to third man

7.6

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, and again. Defends it down the pitch

7.5

Hannah Rowe to Harmanpreet Kaur, no run, pushed back

Harmanpreet Kaur, right handed bat, comes to the crease

7.4

Hannah Rowe to Mandhana, out Bowled!! Off-stump out of its groove! Mandhana has played all around a very full ball here. Hannah Rowe from over the wicket, pitches it right up and left-handed Mandhana is done there and then. Tries to flick this but only when the ball's past her. We have seen teams undoing Mandhana with the fuller deliveries after her surge of form earlier in the tournament. This one was full too, just that it was bowled with an element of surprise, so it was all the more brutal. And effective, as you saw, against a batter who likes hinging on her back foot. Mandhana b Hannah Rowe 13(24) [4s-2]

Hannah Rowe to Mandhana, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!

7.3

Hannah Rowe to Mandhana, no run, off-drive. Good off-drive. But she finds mid-off. A little straighter and it'd have been a four

7.2

Hannah Rowe to Mandhana, no run, takes her front leg out and push-drives it to mid-off. She's looking good and urgent now

7.1

Hannah Rowe to Mandhana, no run, stops on her but she checks this flick to mid-wicket

Hannah Rowe, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

Kasperek: 4-2-10-0. Not a bad start for a spinner against India, and on a fresh wicket with conditions skewed in favour of the faster bowlers

6.6

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, beaten in the flight. Slow in the air, Mithali is shimmying across her stumps but then has to pad it away, with the ball drifting in and flummoxing her altogether

6.5

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, comes down the track and drives it back to the bowler

6.4

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, this was a good whack but it's a better stop at cover. Mithali made room, went hard at it, forcing the ball away but a delicious dive intervenes

6.3

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, lovely loop wide of off, left alone

6.2

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, forward defence. Good stride

6.1

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, tries to use her feet but it's a flatter delivery, so she blocks

5.6

Tahuhu to Mandhana, FOUR, square punch it is. So effortleslly rocks her weight back and doctors the punch between backward point and cover point. Double digit score for her after quite a while..

5.5

Tahuhu to Mandhana, no run, came onto her slowly and Mandhana went slow at it, slicing the push to cover with a loose bottom-hand

5.4

Tahuhu to Mandhana, 2 runs, India paying the price for a heavy outfield. Picked up by Mandhana from leg-stump and whipped away through backward square

5.3

Tahuhu to Mandhana, no run, beautiful shot for no runs. Went back and punched it away. Looked like a certain boundary until cover-point decided to throw herself at it. Half-stopped but no runs conceded

5.2

Tahuhu to Mandhana, no run, blocks it out

5.1

Tahuhu to Mandhana, no run, full ball swinging away late, and the angle from Tahuhu - over the wicket to the left-hander - had Mandhana chasing it with the drive. Beaten

4.6

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, flighted delivery outside off, left off the front foot

4.5

Kasperek to Mandhana, 1 run, misfield at cover means that this back foot punch from Mandhana gets the single it so, so deserved. Pretty sight, watching her play

4.4

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, bowling very slow, is Kasperek. Mandhana waits and opens the punch-defence past slip

4.3

Kasperek to Mithali, 3 runs, she was slow to start off in the last game but not today! She's been denied by the outfield here but she's trying to score. Arches back and punched it away through point

4.2

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, better. Bat and pad close to block one on fourth stump

4.1

Kasperek to Mithali, no run, beaten by the drift. And then Mithali is late to get forward. Dabbles out a defence and is beaten on the outside

3.6

Tahuhu to Mithali, 1 run, straight delivery targetting the pads, that she's worked to fine leg and gotten off the mark

Mithali Raj, right handed bat, comes to the crease

3.5

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, out Caught by Katey Martin!! Taken aback by the extra bounce and she's fended it to the lone slipper in place. Stood back there, in sync with this back of a length delivery, but then was drawn by the seam movement - with the ball decking away - and the extra bounce, of course. Good strike for New Zealand. Punam Raut c Katey Martin b Tahuhu 4(11)

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!

3.4

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, 2 runs, full ball on middle and she's clipped that away wide of diving mid-on

3.3

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, no run, blocks it out

3.2

Tahuhu to Mandhana, 1 run, stays in the crease and drills it to point. And Punam Raut had to hurry to the other end. All safe in the end. India have four singles already. Such a welcome change from the game vs Australia

3.1

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, 1 run, stays in the crease and turns a back of a length delivery to long leg

2.6

Kasperek to Mandhana, FOUR, woah. Look at that. The signs are good. Reaches out on her front foot and lofts it over mid-off. Effortless. "Hope this is the start of a special innings," comments my collegue-friend

2.5

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, pokes it back but not high enough for it to be called a chance

2.4

Kasperek to Punam Raut, 1 run, scoops it to fine leg. She plays that. Have seen her play that before, but not so early! Good to see the intent

2.3

Kasperek to Mandhana, 1 run, wide of mid-wicket. Uses her feet, looking for a loft over extra cover but the ball's drifting in. TYakes the inside half and flies wide of the fielder. India off the mark

2.2

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, goes back this time and culls the arm-ball that's pitched on a length

2.1

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, just makes a bit of room and punches this to cover-point. She's starting to move better with her feet now

1.6

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, no run, back of a length on middle, tucked into the leg-side. India not off the mark

1.5

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, no run, driven softly to cover, intending a single but there isn't. Sharp fielding

1.4

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, no run, opens the forward defence to cover-point while meeting a full ball

1.3

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, no run, full and some inswing on off and middle. Punam Raut watches over and then squeezes out to mid-wicket

1.2

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, no run, a leave. Sees the length dragged back, the line is on fifth stump and she doesn't bother

1.1

Tahuhu to Punam Raut, no run, starts from over the wicket, full length and Punam Raut defends it off the front foot. Good start for both. what's next?

Lea Tahuhu, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

One slip for the seamer too

0.6

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, the best defence, forward defence, of the over

0.5

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, should have been more forward. Mandhana looking a bit stunned about spin. Gets an inside edge on the pad while forward-defending. Good drift on the ball; no turn

0.4

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, almost undone in the flight. Mandhana uses her feet, there's no turn and the drift ensures that she gets an inside edge on this

0.3

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, some width allows Mandhana a punch to cover

Starting with spin when they have won the toss under overcast conditions on a fresh pitch..

0.2

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, more flight, Mandhana pokes off the front foot

0.1

Kasperek to Mandhana, no run, gets the ball to skid on from round the wicket, defended

Mandhana and Punam Raut are at the crease. Mandhana is on strike. Kasperek will open the attack

One slip

10:27am local: The anthems are done and now the flags, mega flags, will make way for cricket. India in a 'Chak De' huddle, or so we have come to name it since that Shahrukh Khan-starrer.

Mithali Raj: "I probably would have fielded if the fast bowlers were giving us breakthroughs but that's not the case. And it's important to bat first in a crucial game. Conditions will be in bowler's favour in the first ten."

Suzie Bates: "We are gonna bowl first. Fresh wicket, so we get the first crack, and hopefully we will get something out of it. Finger is fine. In the last game, we did some good things but didn't carry it for long. Hannah Rowe and Maddy Green come in for Holly Huddleston and Erin Bermingham"

Team changes: For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, playing her first game this World Cup, replaces Ekta Bisht, the left-arm spinner who often takes the new ball for India and was the Player of the Match versus Pakistan. New Zealand, on the other hand, make two changes - Hannah Rowe and Maddy Green come in for Holly Huddleston and Erin Bermingham

Weather: Supposed to be clear, mostly, but hey, it's England, so don't assume.

For India, they return to the venue where they haven't lost this tournament. For the White Ferns, this is a ground where they haven't won: so the first game against South Africa was abandoned, they lost the second one against England by 75 runs. So the venue's in India's favour, if not all the talks and statistics and predictions doing the rounds.

09:45am local: Just where did it go wrong for India? Four wins in a row to start the tournament and then the inflection point arrived in the game versus South Africa, after which everything went haywire. Australia then rode them like a hobbyhorse in an eight-wicket win, and here we are, in this match versus New Zealand, which is a straight shootout between the sides. India win, they move into the semifinals; New Zealand win, they do the same. The loser goes back home with consolatory congratulations for making it so far. If ever there was a quarterfinal for Mithali Raj and Co., this is it. Rumi might just come in handy today..

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Preview

It all boils down to this, eventually. On Saturday (July 15) when all eight participating teams of the 2017 ICC Women's World Cup would be in action - some to avoid wooden spoon, others looking for a better finish in top-four - all eyes would be on this winner-takes-all contest between India and New Zealand at Derby. With table-toppers England, defending champions Australia and South Africa sealing their semifinal spots courtesy comprehensive wins in their sixth round games earlier this week, India and New Zealand, placed fourth and fifth in the points table, are left to battle it out for the last remaining spot on the final day of the league round.

How did it come down to a straight shoot-out between two of the most promising teams at the start? For India, the wheels started to come off after four wins on the bounce, right when they were to line up against two of the strongest opponents in their last three outings. They outfoxed England in their tournament opener to lay the marker as one of the favourites to progress to knockouts but that evened out with an unexpected, and big, loss to South Africa in the fifth round, more as a result of one tactical blunder after another. Up against Australia next, a lethargic batting display left them considerably short of a total worthy to challenge inarguably the world's best.

India might boast of the world's leading ODI wicket-taker and run-scorer in their ranks, but as a unit they are struggling to function collectively. After inconsistent pacers and misfiring allrounders, the absolutely last thing India wanted was a chaos in the batting department. Mithali Raj has been the only constant, albeit at the centre of criticism during her record-breaking knock in the previous outing. Openers Punam Raut and Smriti Mandhana have exactly two noticeable knocks each, but a dry spell otherwise has directly impacted the batting that follows. The big-hitting Harmanpreet Kaur too hasn't lived up to the billing. The spin department has been India's saviour on most occasions but the lack of wickets from strike bowlers is often leaving them over-stressed.

Although at this stage, India couldn't have asked for a better opponent than the ones who have oddly flunked at crucial junctures in all ICC events since finishing runners-up in 2010 World T20. Despite earning the tag of pre-tournament favourites, the desperate need to better their recent record in World Cups can bring in extra pressure and New Zealand would be cautious to not let that deny them another shot at glory.

What gives New Zealand an edge is that they haven't been heavily reliant on one, or more, batters throughout. Suzie Bates and Amy Satterthwaite have been consistently amongst the runs, but in the face of difficulty, the rest too have put their hand up. In the bowling department, spinners Amelia Kerr and Leigh Kasperek have led the way remarkably well despite their limited experience at the highest level. On a slow Derby track, it might well turn out to be a spin vs spin contest that decides the fourth semi-finalist.

A morale boost for India is that they return to a favourable ground where they have enjoyed a 100 per cent winning rate in this competition. Even as a majority of those wins have come against the minnows, it's also the venue where India did the unthinkable and stunned the now table-toppers England. On the other hand, New Zealand's first visit to Derby was a washout and the second resulted in a heavy 75-run loss to England recently, both of which directly propelled them into this do-or-die situation. There can't be a better motivation for either of the sides to give it their all tomorrow. Weather permitting, of course. The rain forecast for tomorrow will prove fatal to New Zealand's chances, for India have one extra point.

What to expect: Showers - a lot of it. However, if the weather holds up, the pitch has been on the slower side so far in this competition.

Team News

India: There is a lot at stake on Saturday and India's safety-first approach could mean Mansi Joshi continues on the bench despite the inconsistency of senior pacers Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey. No. 9 is tad late for the young Deepti Sharma to make any sort of impact with the bat, and given a fragile middle order, India might look to promote the allrounder slightly higher in the order, at the expense of off-colour Harmanpreet or Veda Krishnamurthy.

New Zealand: New Zealand fielded their strongest XI against England in the previous fixture at the same venue and, irrespective of result, shouldn't ideally be making any changes to that line-up. That considering Sophie Devine, who is struggling with a side strain, is fit to take field.

What they said:

"The girls are so talented, but it's just a matter of how well they pull themselves up after a defeat. That's what makes world champions. As a team, we have to step up. If we perform again like against Australia it will not be enough. We really have to improve all over the pitch, especially producing more consistency from how we are bowling and fielding," Mithali Raj wants her team to step up in the virtual quarterfinal.

"We've played some really good cricket and only lost to England and Australia, so it's not all doom and gloom. We've got what is basically a quarter-final against India and we know we can beat them. But we've got to play well because one of us is going home," Suzie Bates is positive of making it to the semis.